No-Freeze Watering System Works By Gravity

No-Freeze Watering System Works By Gravity LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 23-4-13 It's never too early to start worrying about water lines in your barns freezing up on winter nights. So here's a new-style, no-freeze watering system based on simple gravity that took designer Brian McCarthy less than a half day to set up and cost less than $100. McCarthy has an unheated, 60-ft. long barn near Reidsville, N.C., where water hoses and troughs typically freeze up when temperatures occasionally drop to 10 to 20 degrees. "I built the system out of PVC pipe three years ago and it has worked great. I could easily adapt it to colder climes," he says. McCarthy's system consists of a no-freeze water hydrant and below-ground valve plumbed with a short section of rubber hose to a main water manifold equipped with four risers that hook up to water supply lines. The manifold, which slopes down at a 45 degree angle, is made from a length of 1-in. dia. PVC. It's fitted at the bottom with a standard nylon drain valve that can be used to drain excess water out of the system to an underground drain. The risers, which T into the manifold at a 45 degree angle, are each equipped with a standard ball check valve so the amount of water can be controlled individually. He'll make detailed plans and operating instructions available for a small price if there's interest. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian C. McCarthy, 381 Wendy Oak Rd., Reidsville, N.C. (ph 336 634-1274).

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